Cargo stop



Dec. 3, 1946. j SEWARD 2,411,900

CARGO S'IQP Filed July 5, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 v s dgar CZ Seward Q 3 yfzjiffi' Patented Dec. 3, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,411,900 r oARGos'roP Edgar C. Seward, South Arlington, Va. Application July 5, 1944, Serial No. 543,578

10 Claims. (011248-354) (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as

amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to cargo stops and is intended to provide a simple, novel and improved device for lashing or securing cargo on board ship, or on railroad cars or other places where movable cargo is required to be secured against shifting and loss.

The invention contemplates, so far as possible, .the use of standard structural shapes which are available in quantity as by-products of ship coneflect a saving in other critical materials such as rope, chain and lumber which it is intended to replace and which are used to lash and secure cargo.

An additional object of the invention is th provision of a device of the kind described which will considerably reduce the time and labor required to lash and secure cargoes.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a device which can be effectively applied by unskilled labor.

For a further and more complete understanding of the invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and specification, illustrating and describin several forms of the invention without limiting the same thereto.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of one form of the invention, showing the device in operative position against a shipping crate or container.

Figure2 is an enlarged view of the device shown in Figure 1, with parts shown in vertical, cross section.

Figure 3 is a vertical cross section taken along the line 3+3 of Figure 2, in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is a vertical cross section taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 2, in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the device shown in Figure 1.

Figure 6 is an enlarged perspective view of a detail of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a further detail of Figure 1.

Figuref8 is a side elevation of a modified form of the inve'ntion.

Figure 9 isa side elevation of another form of the invention, and v Figure 10 is an enlarged detail of a modification of the device shown in Figure 9.

As shown in Figure 1, the reference character A may represent the deck of a ship, the floor of a freight car or other transportation facility, and B may represent a shipping crate to be secured against displacement. In applying the inven-- tion, abracket or base III, which is shown as built up of suitable angles and plates, but which may be a pair of spaced structural shelf angles,

isbolted, as at H, to any suitable cross member on the deck of a ship. The side faces of the base or shelf angles are perforated at spaced points, as at l2, for adjustment of the parts about to be described. Pivoted to said base at I3 and extending diagonally upwardly therefrom is a brace 14 which is shown as formed of a plurality of angle-irons butt-joined together by means of a pair of fish plates [5. The brace is shown as pivoted at 13 to the base ID by means of a pair of similar fish plates which are bolted at l6 to the brace l4. While the brace I4, and other'parts of the device, may be shown as built up of many separate parts, it will be understood that these parts may be made in one piece. It is intended that these devices shall be made up of small lengths of waste structural materials which accumulate in shipyards as the by-products of ship construction, to conserve materials needed for the present emergency, but that when the emergency ceases, these devices may be formed of more appropriate design. The brace l5, for example, may be made in one length, although the short lengths are desirable, lending flexibility to the device whereby several lengths may be joined together as circumstances may require to efiect a proper securing of any specified cargo. Where short lengths are used, they are joined by means of fish plates l5. These fish plates are provided with teeth [5A, suitably punched or out along one edge thereof, for a purpose which will hereinafter be described. These fish plates l5 are made ofa standard size so that they may be interchangeable where necessary in the construction of the device. Pivoted to the base at I! ata point spaced from thepivot I3 is an arm l8 which carries a plate I!) at itsfother extremity. The plate i9 is rigidly secured to the arm l8at right angles thereto and is provided with a tooth zlliwhich is suitably stampedbrp'unched from the plate I9.

Such a tooth is punched at the upper and lower edge of the plate, so as to provide an emergency tooth to replace breakage. This tooth 20 is adapted to engage any one of the teeth ISA of the fish plate l5 for the purpose of locking the brace l iagainst vertical movement as will hereinafter be described. The brace l4 carries at its free end a pivoted cargo-engaging plate MA which is provided with teeth 14B projecting from one face thereof and which are adapted to engage the side walls of a crate or shipping container in a manner which will be clearly understood by reference to the drawings.

In the operation of this device, when it is placed against a shipping container, such as B, with the arm M and plate MA engaging said container, a shifting of the container B to the right, due to the roll of the vessel, or direct action of water, would cause the brace M to become disengaged from the case B to an extent which 'would permit it to drop slightly. Since the case B is engaged on its opposite side by a similar device, the case B could not shift very far and the plate MA and teeth MB would re-engage the case at a lower point when the case returned to its original position, due to the reaction caused by the roll of the ship or action of the water. As the brace l4 drops, the tooth 29 of the plate I9 would become disengaged from the fish plate l5, and if the drop of the brace 14 were great enough, the tooth 20 would engage the next succeeding tooth of the fish plate I5, so that the return roll of the ship, returning the case B to its original position, would find the case braced by the brace 14 which is locked against vertical movement by the arm l8, plate l9, and tooth 20 engaging the teeth ISA. Thus, it will appear that while the brace may move downwardly with respect to the roll of. the ship sufficiently to cause disengagement of the teeth of fish plate l5 and plate 19, the return of the ship to its righted position will always cause a re-engagement of these parts to such an extent as to prevent upward vertical movement of the brace. The brace l4 and arm :18 may move downwardly to take up slack in cargo, but cannot move upwardly. Thus, the cargo is always maintained in locked or braced position. It will be understood, of course, that a device similar to that described will be placed on each side of the cargo as dictated by requirements.

1 In the modified form of the invention shown in Figure 8, a base I!) similar to the construction heretofore described is provided carrying a threaded screw 2| which rotates in a nut 22. Pivoted to the base at a point below this nut are a pair of angle-irons 23 supporting a triangular frame 24 which is pivoted to said angles at 25. The frame 24 is maintained against the shipping container or crate B by its own weight, pivoting about the point 25. It is further secured against the vertical face of the crate B by means of the threaded screw 2| which is forced against the angles 26, which in turn transmit said force through two. sides of the triangle to the vertical .portion thereof bearing against the crate B. Any shifting of the cargo to the left of the device as shown in Figure 8 would be corrected by the ,weight of the triangle 24 which would slide downwardly along the wall of the crate, pivoting about the point 25. The screw 2| would then require manual adjustment to bring it again into pressure contact with the angles 26.

In the form of the invention shown in Figure 9, asupport C is provided at each end with a base bracket 10 having the screw device 2|, 22, as previously described, at each end thereof on opposite sides thereof. The lower brackets are shown as engaging the coaming of the hatch of a ship, with the support C resting on thehatch and a cargo B, to be secured, restin on the support C. The cargo is secured against displacement on the support by engaging the same with the screw device 2! at each end thereof. The support C is clamped to the hatch coaming by the brackets secured to the under surface thereof as will appear by reference to the drawings.

In the form illustrated in Figure 10, the base is shown as bolted to any suitable cross member, as a timber, upon which cargo may be supported.

While-I have thus described several forms of the invention, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the constructions described, but may be modified in accordance with the spirit thereof as defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A cargo stop comprising a base, a brace with teeth on one surface thereof secured at one end to said base, cargo-engaging means secured to the free end of said brace, an arm secured to said base for locking said brace when in cargo-engaging position, said arm having teeth-engaging means for engaging the teeth on said brace.

2. A cargo stop comprising a base, a toothed brace pivoted at one end to said base, a cargoengaging plate pivoted at the free end of said brace, an arm pivoted to said base at a point spaced from said brace pivot, said arm extending between said base and brace,,and toothed means at the free end of said arm for engaging said toothed brace to lock same in braced position when said brace is in cargo-engaging position.

3. A cargo stop comprising a base, a toothed brace pivoted at one end to said base, a cargoengaging plate pivoted at the free end of said brace, an arm pivoted to said base at a point spaced from said brace pivot, said arm extending between saidbase and brace, said arm having a plate at its free end, said plate having teeth for engagement with said toothed brace to lock same in braced position when said brace is in cargo-engaging position.

4. A cargo stop comprising a base, a brace having one end secured to said base and engaging a draft of cargo at the other end thereof, an arm extending between said base and brace, said arm and brace having cooperating adjustable means for releasably locking said brace against substantial movement in at least one direction when said brace is engaging a shifting cargo, said arm being adjustable with respect to said brace under shifting cargo conditions to maintain said stop in cargo-stopping position.

5. A cargo stop comprising a base, a toothed brace, having one end pivoted to said base and engaging a draft of cargo at the other end thereof, an arm extending between said base and brace with toothed means at the free end thereof, said arm and toothed means releasably and successively engaging the teeth of said brace to adjust said brace in locking position as it moves in response to a shifting cargo.

6.- A cargo stop comprising a base, a cargo engaging brace having one end secured to said base, and a clamp on said base for forcing saidbrace into cargo engaging position.

7. A cargo stop comprising a base, a cargo engaging frame having one end secured to said base, an adjustable clamp on said base, said clamp engaging said frame to urge same into cargo engaging position. i

8. A cargo support comprising a, base, clamping means on one side of said base comprising a bracket, an adjustable clamp thereon for securing said base to a support, and clamping means on the opposite side of said base for securing a load of cargo thereon.

9. A lashing for a shiftable .cargo comprising an adjustable stop positioned on at least two sides of said cargo, each stop being so constructed and arranged as to automatically and alternately take up slack space occurrin between said stop EDGAR C. SEWARD. 

